In the current digital landscape, it’s essential to make every media exposure opportunity your brand gets count. Of course, you don’t just want your brand to stand out—you want to stand out for the right reasons. With a little extra preparation, you’ll be better equipped to handle any interview or media interaction that comes your way.
The difference between a headline-making interview and a PR flop often comes down to how well someone is media trained—not how “natural” they are. Media training isn’t just about avoiding saying the wrong thing—it’s about learning how to say the right things in a clear, concise way. This article will cover what effective media training really looks like, and why it’s indispensable in today’s attention economy.
What Is Media Training—And Why It Matters More Than Ever
When your favorite celebrity handles an uncomfortable question with grace or deftly sidesteps a controversial topic in an interview, you’ll likely see media training mentioned in the comment section. Media training, however, is not just for your favorite actors or musicians. It’s a crucial tool for brands and working professionals too.
Media training is not about memorizing a script. Instead, it’s about knowing how to communicate with clarity, confidence, and composure. These are versatile skills that can be applied across a variety of situations. With media training under your belt, you’ll be prepared to tackle any interview, speech, or digital communication that you’re faced with.
In a world of soundbites, livestreams, and TikTok callouts, one misstep can go viral. Effective media training helps leaders and spokespeople embody brand values without sounding robotic. Media training is about more than maintaining a running list of talking points or checking off certain boxes in each media appearance.
At its core, media training is an exercise in storytelling. The first goal of media training is to help you isolate the messages, values, and storytelling elements that are the foundation of your brand. The second goal is to help you learn how to adapt your message to the situation at hand. Your brand voice should stay consistent, even as you adjust your tone and content based on the format you’re engaging with. Whether you’re getting ready for an on-air interview, a magazine feature, or commenting on the brand’s social account, media training can help you represent your brand in a positive, cohesive light.
Scripted vs. Strategic: The Misconception About “Overtraining”
It’s a common misconception that media training makes people sound inauthentic or robotic. When done thoughtfully, the goal of media training is not to eliminate personality—it’s to anchor it with intention. It’s not about memorizing a series of canned responses. Instead, it’s about internalizing strategies for answering questions and communicating your brand’s key messages and overall identity.
A media-trained spokesperson knows how to pivot, reframe, and recover in real time. If an unexpected question arises, media training aims to provide a better solution than pausing, freezing up, or blurting out the first answer that comes to mind. Media training allows you to handle both expected and unexpected topics with the same calm, consistent approach.
At the end of the day, “natural” delivery doesn’t mean “winging it”—it means rehearsed to the point of comfort. Instead of going over a set list of potential interview questions again and again, media training might look like nailing down a list of core values or relevant ideas you want to highlight across platforms and practicing talking about them. Coming up with relatable examples or engaging anecdotes that help you tell a better story about your brand is also a valuable aspect of media training.
All in all, the preparation should be geared towards improving your ability to authentically communicate. And, it should be tailored towards your unique brand goals and voice: with consistency as an underlying objective, not robotic delivery. The more you practice, the more flexibility you should start to develop in your ability to respond and adapt. Instead of repeating the same words over and over again, you should learn to incorporate the same core values and messages throughout a variety of different responses and get comfortable switching up your answers while portraying a consistent narrative.
When Media Moments Go Right (and Why)
Media moments that reflect well on companies, brands, or individuals often have certain key features in common. They are typically achieved by maintaining composure, staying humble, and being cordial. Here are a few examples of what effective media moments can look like:
- A founder who stayed poised during a tough Q&A
Picture a founder of a lifestyle company heading out to what they hope will be a friendly Q&A session. While the session starts off with some easy questions about how the company started and what’s on the horizon, a few more challenging questions are also pitched. The founder is asked how their company compares to similar competitors, if they have a sustainability initiative, and how they are handling concerns about the ethics of their mission. A founder without media training might get rattled by these more complex questions. Fortunately, this founder was able to draw on media training to expertly answer these questions with the careful consideration they deserve, highlighting the unique company features that set them apart from their competitors, including existing sustainability measures, an ethical approach to business, and future initiatives to continue improving.
- A CEO who owned a mistake without defensiveness
Imagine a CEO holding a press conference announcing the launch of a new wellness product. As part of the event, the CEO is also asked about a past product that had to be pulled off the market. Without providing excuses, the CEO states in plain language what went wrong with that product, and what steps have been taken to prevent similar mistakes from occurring moving forward. The CEO accepts responsibility for the company’s past shortcomings and highlights the solutions that are being actively implemented to ensure future products can be trusted.
- A creator who nailed a brand partnership interview with warmth and professionalism
Consider an influencer pulling off a successful interview for a snack brand. The influencer is both friendly and professional, connecting with the audience while completing the task at hand. The influence is asked if they have ever actually eaten the snack in question. With a quick overview of the product’s main features and a snappy anecdote about enjoying the snack recently at a get together with family members, the influencer answers the question, simultaneously connecting with their audience and that of the snack brand.
What They Had in Common
All of these media moments share clear messaging and internalized (but not memorized) talking points. There is also an evident comfort with silence, pressure, and unpredictability. An unexpected question or topic can derail an interview if the interviewee is not prepared to respond. In each of these examples, key aspects of media training came into play to prevent such a suboptimal outcome—ilike avoiding deflection, prioritizing clarity, and centering key brand values.
When Media Moments Go Wrong (and Why)
It only takes a brief scroll on social media to see that not all media moments go right. There are plenty of interviews out there that have gone wrong. Examples of factors that can make an interview cringeworthy or damaging include:
- Rambling answers, mixed messages, or visible discomfort: Without media training, subject matter that pops up out of the blue can make an interviewee uncomfortable and lead to incoherent or inconsistent messaging. This can also manifest as visible discomfort, further contributing to a less than ideal image for the individual and the brand as a whole.
- Defensiveness or off-brand commentary: A tough question can prompt an individual to come up with excuses that end up painting a picture of deflecting blame or avoiding taking responsibility for a mistake. This can also lead to comments that don’t match the intended brand voice or identity.
- Trying too hard to be “real” at the expense of clarity: In some cases, individuals will go too far trying to answer a question authentically without having practiced enough beforehand. This can lead to long-winded answers that don’t have an obvious purpose. This can have the unintended effect of making the interviewee seem distracted or out of touch, and easily result in unwanted soundbites.
LaRue’s Media Training Approach
LaRue offers a comprehensive approach to media training that will get you and your brand ready for any media interaction you come across. LaRue places an emphasis on tone, message control, and platform-specific strategy—for example, strategy varies for TV vs. podcast vs. IG Live. To make sure you’re as prepared as possible, you will participate in role-play sessions, scenario planning, and on-camera reviews. This will familiarize you with a variety of different situations you might face in the future.
LaRue also offers tailored guidance for different kinds of spokespeople, such as founders, executives, and influencers. You will get a personalized media training strategy customized to your position and goals. Overall, media training with LaRue highlights the importance of confidence, presence, and messaging under pressure. With LaRue, you’ll be well-equipped to successfully navigate media appearances and digital engagement.
Practical Tips for Becoming a Media-Savvy Spokesperson
Becoming media-savvy can significantly improve your ability to present yourself and your brand in the way you want, when you want. It’s the best way to ensure that when you get a media exposure opportunity, you’ll be ready to shine. There are several actionable steps you can take toward incorporating media training into your own life. To get started, try these tips:
- Prepare 2-3 key messages for every appearance: You don’t need a list of 10 core ideas for every appearance. Instead, focus on just two or three important messages that are relevant to the specific platform or format in question.
- Practice out loud—not just in your head: To get a more realistic picture of how prepared you are to actually answer questions and formulate responses, make sure to practice out loud. Consider practicing in the mirror or with a trusted friend or colleague so you can get some feedback and make necessary adjustments.
- Never say “no comment”—reframe instead: The phrase “no comment” can easily be misconstrued as denial or avoidance. Practice strategies for reframing questions, such as shifting to a similar topic or carefully responding in a way that briefly touches on how your company is handling the issue or situation without giving too much away. Consider coming up with a list of challenging topics or questions and practicing thoughtful responses ahead of time.
- Get comfortable with silence: Immediately jumping into a response isn’t always the best idea. A short pause can allow you to gather your thoughts and decide which direction you want to take with your answer. As you pause, you can run through your media training prep in your head and recall factors like key messages, your brand voice, and sample anecdotes to help shape your response.
- Know your audience and outlet: The right kind of interview prep can vary based on several factors, including your target demographic, the specific media outlet, and the outlet’s own audience. You should adjust your prep efforts based on these factors, with the goal of connecting with the audience you’ll be in front of while staying true to your brand.
Work With Us
Great media moments don’t happen by accident. Instead, they’re the result of smart, strategic prep. Whether you’re on a national news segment or a podcast, you owe it to your brand to show up with purpose, polish, and presence. The best way to accomplish this is to invest in media training. LaRue can help you develop a consistent approach to media appearances that allows you to adapt to different situations while reflecting positively on your brand.
